Gravity ejector for invertible container



1 964 A. J. KUECHENMEISTER 3,

GRAVITY EJECTOR FOR INVERTIBLE CONTAINER Filed July 27, 1962 United States Patent 3,156,386 GRAVITY EJECTOR FOR INVERTIBLE CONTAINER Alfred J. Kuechenmeister, 6010 Lakeshore Road, Manistee, Mich. Filed July 27, 1962, Ser. No. 212,959 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-372) This invention relates to dispensers for powdered or granular material, and more particularly to a dispenser arranged to forceably eject a predetermined quantity of material upon inversion of the dispenser.

In the manufacture of dispensers for certain powdered materials, the problem has frequently arisen of making a dispenser cheaply enough to be expendable, yet of satisfactory accuracy in measuring out predetermined quantitles of the material regardless of its humidity content, bridging characteristics and other factors interfering with its normal pouring rate. The present invention solves this problem by providing the dispenser with a gravity operated weight member or ram whose momentum is used to forceably eject a predetermined quantity of powdered material from the dispenser on each inversion of the dispenser.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a dispensing container for powdered materials in which a predetermined quantity of powdered material is ejected from the container upon each inversion thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a dispensing container in which the aforementioned action is accomplished by the gravitational motion of a freely movable weight member within the container.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of a dispensing container constructed in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the weight member or ram used in the device of FIG. 1.

Basically, the invention provides a guideway or tube in which a weight member or ram is slideably movable between the top and bottom of the container. The top end of the guideway terminates in a spout through which material in the guideway can be ejected to the outside of the container. An opening is provided for communication between the inside of the container and the top part of the guideway, so that when the container is inverted, material from its inside falls into the guideway toward the spout, at which point the material in the guideway is then ejected from the container through the action of the pistonlike end of the falling Weight member or ram. When the container is returned to its upright position, the weight member falls back to its position most remote from the spout under the influence of gravity, thus readying the apparatus for another discharge. During shipment, the spout may be sealed by providing the pistonlike end of the weight member with a retaining ring which holds the pistonlike end in the spout. In addition, a sealing strip may be provided on the Weight member for closing the communication aperture between the interior of the container and the guideway While the weight member is in its ejecting position.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the dispensing container of this invention is generally shown at 10. The container may consist of a side wall 12 and end walls 14, 16 which retain the guideway tube 18 between them. The top end wall 16 is provided with an opening 20 into which is inserted a closure member 24. The closure 3,156,386 Patented Nov. 10, 1964 way 18 through opening 30. A baflie 32 is provided at the top of the container to direct material in the container interior 26 into the guideway interior 28 when the container 10 is inverted. A plunger or weight mem ber 34 is freely slidably movable in the guideway 18 between the rest position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and the ejecting position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1. The weight member or ram 34 is equipped with guide fins 36 to maintain it in alignment in the guideway 18, and with a solid pistonlike end or nose 38. Nose 38 can be concave, hollowed out or tubular, grooved or finned. The diameter of nose 38 is such that it just passes through the portioning chamber 22. Its length is such that its end will pass entirely through this portioning chamber. A band 40 may be placed around the fins 36 of the weight member 34 to seal the opening 30 when the weight member 34 is in the solid line position of FIG. 1.

For shipping purposes, the weight member 34 may be provided with a groove 42 (FIG. 2) into which is placed a retaining ring 44. The retaining ring 44 holds the nose 38 in the spout 22 so as to seal the spout or portioning chamber 22. At the same time, the band 46, if provided, seals the opening 30 to prevent the contents of the container interior 26 from discharging into the guideway interior 28 and possibly interfering with the operating of the weight member 34. During shipment, the container may additionally be sealed by means of a label or like element 46.

Operation In operation, the sealing label 46 is first removed from the device of FIG. 1. The retaining ring 44 is then removed from the nose 38, and the Weight member 3 is allowed to drop into the dotted line position of FIG. 1. If it is now desired to dispense material from the container 10, the container 10 is inverted. This causes material from the container interior 26 to fall through opening 30 into the top portion (FIG. 1) of the guide Way interior .28 adjacent the portioning chamber 22. As soon as the container has been sufficiently inverted to overcome the frictional drag between the guideway 18 and the fins 36 of the weight member 34:, the weight member 34 falls toward the portioning chamber 22, and the nose 38 of the weight member 34 moves through the portioning chamber 22, forcibly ejecting from the container iii the material contained in portioning chamber 22. At the same time, if the band 40 is provided, the opening 30 is sealed off to prevent further discharge of material from the container interior 26 to the guideway interior 28. As soon as the container is again righted, the weight member 34 falls back into the dotted line position, and the container is ready for another like operation.

It will be understood that the inventive concept embodied herein can be carried out in many different ways, of which the embodiment illustrated in the figures and described in the specification is merely illustrative. More particularly, it should be understood that the shape and angular position of the guideway and weight member with respect to the container can be varied as the construction of the containerr may require. For example, the tube for the Weight member may be inclined at 45 across the container and discharge at one corner of the container. The

7 bedded in a molder plastic body for the plunger. Consequently, I do not desire to be limited in any way by the embodiment shown and described, but only by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser comprising: a container having an elongated piston chamber and a spout communicating with one end thereof; said spout constituting a proportioning chamber; said container having a material storage chamber communicating with said piston chamber adjacent said spout; a gravity operated piston means in said piston chamber slidably movable lengthwise thereof and normally clear of said spout when said container is upright; said proportioning chamber being of substantial length and uniform cross section; said piston means having an element thereon longer than said proportioning chamber and arranged to enter said spout and pass entirely through said proportioning chamber to the exterior of said container when said container is inverted, thereby ejecting a measured charge from said container; said piston, upon entering said proportioning chamber, sealing the same against entry of additional material from both said piston and storage chambers.

2. A dispenser as recited in claim 1 wherein said piston means has a central rod-like member and spaced laterally extending guide means for guiding said piston means in said piston chamber, said guide means defining passages lengthwise of said piston means through which material can pass as said piston means moves in said piston chamber.

3. A dispenser as recited in claim 1 wherein a removable stop means is mounted on said element of said piston means which stop means cooperates with said spout to hold said piston means in said spout to seal said container during shipment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,840 Barhite Apr. 23, 1918 2,141,870 Koukal Dec. 27, 1938 2,368,540 Goodman Ian. 30, 1945 2,919,056 Collins Dec. 29, 1959 

1. A DISPENSER COMPRISING: A CONTAINER HAVING AN ELONGATED PISTON CHAMBER AND A SPOUT COMMUNICATING WITH ONE END THEREOF; SAID SPOUT CONSTITUTING A PROPORTIONING CHAMBER; SAID CONTAINER HAVING A MATERIAL STORAGE CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PISTON CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID SPOUT; A GRAVITY OPERATED PISTON MEANS IN SAID PISTON CHAMBER SLIDABLY MOVABLE LENGTHWISE THEREOF AND NORMALLY CLEAR OF SAID SPOUT WHEN SAID CONTAINER IS UPRIGHT; SAID PROPORTIONING CHAMBER BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH AND UNIFORM CROSS SECTION; SAID PISTON MEANS HAVING AN ELEMENT THEREON LONGER THAN SAID PROPORTIONING CHAMBER AND ARRANGED TO ENTER SAID SPOUT AND PASS ENTIRELY THROUGH SAID PROPORTIONING CHAMBER TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER WHEN SAID CONTAINER IS INVERTED, THEREBY EJECTING A MEASURED CHARGE FROM SAID CONTAINER; SAID PISTON, UPON ENTERING SAID PROPORTIONING CHAMBER, SEALING THE SAME AGAINST ENTRY OF ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FROM BOTH SAID PISTON AND STORAGE CHAMBERS. 